1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to electric motors coupled with gearing assemblies.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electric motors are often used in combination with gearing assemblies. When used in vehicles or other mobile equipment, the space available for such electric motors and gearing assemblies is often limited. A variety of assemblies that combine an electric motor with a gearing assembly are known.
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate known examples of assemblies that include both an electric motor and gearing assembly. In FIG. 3, an electric motor 20 and a gearing assembly 22 are disposed within a housing assembly 24. The housing assembly 24 includes a partition member 26 separating the electric motor 20 from the gearing assembly 22. A shaft 28 couples the electric machine 20 with gearing assembly 22 and an oil seal 30 is engaged with shaft 28 between electric motor 20 and gearing assembly 22 and prevents oil from migrating from one side of partition member 26 to the other. Partition member 26 also supports a bearing member 32 engaged with shaft 28 at a position between electric motor 20 and gearing assembly 22. Bearing member 32 is one of the bearings rotatably supporting shaft 28.
The assembly depicted in FIG. 4 has a more elongate configuration than the assembly of FIG. 3, however, it also includes an electric machine 20a coupled with a gearing assembly 22a. In both FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the gearing assembly is a planetary reduction gear assembly. A housing partition member 26a separates electric machine 20a from gearing assembly 22a and a shaft assembly 28a extends therethrough coupling electric machine 20a with gearing assembly 22a. Partition member 26a supports a bearing member 32a engaged with a shaft assembly 28a at a location between electric machine 20a and gearing assembly 22a. Bearing member 32a is one of the bearings rotatably supporting shaft assembly 28a. Bearing members 32, 32a of FIGS. 3 and 4 are both roller bearing assemblies. An oil seal 30a is engaged with shaft assembly 28a at a location between electric machine 20a and gearing assembly 22a and seals the space housing gearing assembly 22a from the space housing electric machine 20a. 
FIG. 5 illustrates how an electric machine 20b can be coupled with a gearing assembly 22b and coupled with a transaxle 21b to drive a pair of wheels in a vehicle. Examples of other known electric motor and gearing assemblies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,852,061 B2 and 8,449,424 B2 and in U.S. Pub. No. 2009/0312134 A1 all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Other rotary drive applications are also found in vehicles and other mobile equipment that commonly utilize drive sources other than electric motors. For example, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a known arrangement for coupling a cooling fan with an internal combustion engine (not shown). As is well known to those having ordinary skill in the art, a driven pulley 36 can be coupled by a belt to a pulley 38 which, in turn, drives a fan 34. Fan 34 may be used to cool the internal combustion engine or other vehicle assembly. Because the fan is driven by a belt and pulley arrangement that takes torque from the engine, the fan is generally positioned in front of the engine with its rotational axis parallel to the rotational axis of the engine. Any other positioning of the fan would entail a significantly more extensive and complex mechanical linkage between the engine and fan thereby consuming additional space within the engine compartment and increasing costs.